Means for locking containers on vehicles



March 2, 1948. R. A. NORBOM MEANS FOR LOOKING CONTAT-NERS ON VEHICLESFiled Sept. 5, 1946 Ragnar A. Norbom Patented Mar. 2, 1948 MEANS FORLOCKING CONTAINERS ON VEHICLES Ragnar A. Norbom, New York, N. Y.,assignor to National Fitch Corporation,

Delaware a corporation of Application September 5, 1946, Serial No.694,967

4 Claims.

This invention pertains to vehicles adapted to transport a demountablebody or container and relates more particularly to means for lockingsuch containers on a vehicle.

In U. S. Patents Nos. 2,266,790, issued December 23, 1941, and2,304,115, issued December 8, 1942, to Ragnar A. Norbom, constructionsare described which may be used to transfer a demountable containerprovided with skid rails from one vehicle, such as a railway car, toanother vehicle, such as a highway truck or trailer, or from the highwaytruck or trailer to a railway car. Both types of vehicles are providedwith transverse guideways to receive the skid rails of a demountablebody or container, Suitable propulsion means or mechanism, includingextensible bridges adapted to be connected to supporting membersprovided on the railway car, may be carried by the highway vehicle toeffect such transfers, and such a vehicle may be said to be mechanized.In the aforementioned U. S. Patent No. 2,266,790, the extensible bridgemembers of the mechanized vehicle, when retracted, serve as one elementof a locking device which retains the demountable container ontheguideways of the mechanized vehicle. Reference may be made to the abovementioned patents for a better understanding of the subject matterdisclosed therein.

This invention relates primarily to a vehicle, such as a highway truckor trailer or a railway car, provided with transverse guideways, to orfrom which a demountable body or container may be transferred from or toa mechanized vehicle. Such a vehicle may be said to be nonmechanized,since it has no mechanism or propulsion means to effect such transfers,the transfers being effected by the propulsion means on the mechanizedvehicle, The invention isconcerned with the means carried by anon-mechanized vehicle to which the bridge members of a mechanizedvehicle may be connected and also with means for firmly locking thedemountable container on the guideways of the non-mechanized vehicle intransportable position.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved means forlooking a dem-ountable container on a vehicle.

It is another object of this invention to provide means which includeconnecting bridge attaching and supporting means for looking ademountable container on a vehicle.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a mechanized gvehicleconnected to a nonmechanized vehicle constructed in accordance with thisinvention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the bridge supporting anddemountable container locking mechanism of a non-mechanized vehicle. Thecontainer engaging element, or stirrup, has been omitted for clearerillustration.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view corresponding to Figure2 with the mechanism shown in locked position. Certain parts are brokenaway to provide a clearer illustration of the construction.

Referring now to Figure l, the frame of the mechanized vehicle, aportion only of which is shown, is provided with transversely extendinghollow beams Ill which support upwardly facing transverse channels I lforming guideways adapted to receive the skid rails of a demountablecontainer, not shown. Telescopically housed Within the hollow beams illare bridges, generally indicated at 12, extensible, as shown, to connectto another vehicle. Means to lock the bridges I2 in retracted orextended position are indicated generally at l 3. The construction thusfar described is shown and described more fully in U. S. Patent No.2,304,115, to which reference has been made heretofore. I

The frame of the non-mechanized vehicle, a portion only of which isshown in the drawings, also is provided with transversely extendinghollow beams is which support upwardly facing transverse channels l5forming skid rail guideways. Welded orotherwise suitably secured toopposite sides of the hollow beams M are brackets It, the upper portionsof which have outwardly extending guiding projections or fingers l1. Asbest shown in Figure 3, the minor open ings 18 of a stirrup it areadapted to slide over these fingers H with the opening 28 of the stirrupreceiving the projectin end of a skid rail 2l of a demountablecontainer. This construction is shown and described more fully inpreviously mentioned U. S. Patent No. 2,266,790.

, Supported on outwardly extending lower portions 22 of the brackets I6is a supporting plate 23 having hinge supporting lugs 24 welded orotherwise suitably secured in vertical position to the ends thereof. Anangled plate member 25 welded to or formed integral with the top of thesupporting plate 23 extends over the end of the hollow beam l4 andregisters with the bottom of the channel 15. The length of the plate 25corresponds roughly to the inside width of the channel l5. That portionof the plate 25 which rests on the upper surface of the hollow beam Mmay be welded or otherwise suitably secured thereto to complete thesupporting structure. Hinged to the lugs 24 are supporting elements orwings 26 provided with elongated openings 21 through which passes thetransverse bar. 28 provided on the connecting end of the bridge 12. Thebar 28 may carry a loose rod with downwardly projecting ends 29 toprevent inadvertent withdrawal of the bar from the wings 26.

The supporting plate 23 also carries wing lock elements, each of whichhas a shaft portion 30, which extends through a suitable circularopening formed in the supporting plate, and a detent or keeper 3|secured to the outer end thereof. An operating arm 32 is affixed to theinner end of the shaft portion 30 which extends through the plate 23,for manual rotation of the shaft and locking detent. With theproportions shown, the sides of the hollow beam M are cut away, asindicated at [4a, to provide necessary clearance for the lock elementsand operating handles.

After a idemountable container has been transferred from a mechanizedvehicle to a nonmechanized vehicle, the stirrups l9 are placed inretaining position, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. The connecting bridgeI2 is detached and the wings 26 are folded against the frame of thenon-mechanized vehicle, as shown in Figure 3 and in dotted lines inFigure 2. In folded position, the wings 26 engage the downwardprojections or surfaces 33 on the stirrup I9 to hold the stirrup inplace. When the wings 26 are being folded against the frame, theoperating handles 32 are held in raised position as shown in dottedlines in Figure 3, to allow the elongated openings 21 in the wings topass over the detents 3|. The operating handles 32 then may be loweredto turn the detents 3| into locking position, shown in Figure 3, to holdthe wings in folded position. Since gravity holds the operat ing handles32 in locking position, any jarring or vibration, caused by the movementof the vehicle in transit, will not be apt to raise the handles tounlocked position. Thus, the demountable container is retained securelyin place on the non-mechanized vehicle while in transit.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been described andillustrated, it will be realized that various structural changes may bemade without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, theinvention encompasses all variations and embodiments which fall withinthe scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of a vehicle adapted to support a demountablecontainer, a device engageable with said vehicle and said container toretain the container on said vehicle, foldable members hinged to ,a sideof said vehicle for supporting one end of a bridge detachablyconnectable to said vehicle, and means including 4 said members forlocking said device in retaining position.

2. A vehicle having guideways to receive skid rails of a demountablebody which may be carried by said vehicle, a stirrup engageable withsaid vehicle and a skid rail of a demountable body to retain the body onthe vehicle, members hingedly mounted on a side of said vehicle adjacentthe ends of said guideways, said members when extending outwardly ofsaid vehicle being adapted to support one end of a bridge detachablyconnectable to said vehicle and when folded against said side of thevehicle being effective to lock said stirrup in retaining position, andmeans for locking said hinged members in folded position.

3. A look for securing a demountable container on a vehicle, thecombination comprising: means engageable with the container and theVehicle for retaining the container on the vehicle, members havingelongated openings therein hingedly mounted on a side of the vehicleadjacent said means, said members when extending outwardly of saidvehicle bein adapted to support one end of a detachable connectingbridge and when folded against said side of the vehicle being efiectiveto lock said means in retaining position, and a, rotatable detentextending through said openings to lock said members in folded position.

4. A vehicle having guideways to receive skid rails of a demountablecontainer which may be carried by said vehicle, a stirrup engageablewith the projecting end of a skid rail of a demountable container onsaid vehicle, means on said vehicle engageable with said stirrup toretain the container on the vehicle, members having elongated openingstherein hingedly mounted on said vehicle on opposite sides of said meansadjacent the ends of said guideways, said members when projectingoutwardly of said vehicle being adapted to support one end of adetachable connecting bridge and when folded against the side of saidvehicle acting to lock said stirrup in retaining position, and arotatable detent projecting through said openings when said members arein folded position to lock said members in folded position,

' RAGNAR A. NORBOM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 7 1,966,492 Fildes July 17, 19342,266,789 Norbom' Dec. 23, 1941 2,266,790 Norbom Dec. 23, 1941 2,348,269Stevens May 9, 1944 FOREIGN PAI'ENTS Number Country Date 206,368 GermanyFeb. 1, 1909

